His Own Kind of SuperHero
by nerdland
Summary: Ryan Reynolds is a nerdy guy who ends up falling in love with Scarlett Johansson, a powerful business woman. Ashton Kutcher is Ryan's best friend and he gets involved with Demi Moore, a beautiful brunette who struggles with her ex-husbands' jealousy.
1. First Contact

**Chapter 1: First Contact**

Ryan Reynolds had a pretty steady life. Actually, it was steadier than most people could endure. He almost never went out, and when he did, it was because he wanted to go to the Star Wars panel at Comic Con. Some could even say he was a bit of a nerd, but he didn't like labels. Nerdy is the new cool and he was just socially unable. But yeah, he enjoyed reading Iron Man and Justice League from time to time.

Dating was something he had given up a long time ago. The last girl he went on a date with made him cry himself to sleep. He was a handsome fella, he just didn't have enough attitude. Of course he dreamt of meeting his Wonder Woman, or maybe the delicious caramel that is Halle Berry. But that was just a dream, and "even if I met them, they would dump me in a sec", he used to console himself.

Even though his routine wasn't very interesting, he liked his life. Everyday he did the same things and he was more than ok with it. He didn't like change and his lifestyle was just perfect. He had the same haircut since 2002 and still played Super Mario. Nobody knew this, but he still had his Super Man boxers in his drawer. Too bad they didn't fit anymore, but he knew that it would be awesome to find them his size.

He lived in Pasadena in a great pad with his roommate, Ashton Kutcher, who was also his best friend. Ashton, on the other hand, was a ladies man. He didn't spend one week with the same girl – sometimes, not even a whole day – and he just didn't understand how Ryan could survive without some casual, meaningless sex with some random girl he met at a bar. Ashton just wouldn't. Ryan has seen all kinds of girls walking into the apartment, but he never saw one stay for breakfast.

"I don't know how you do it. Don't you have any respect for those lovely ladies?" Ryan said all the time, and Ashton had always the same answer on the tip of his tongue: "They know the rules, if they choose to play the game, who am I to argue?"

Ryan was currently working on a nightclub project. The owner wanted him to build a completely innovative engineering system so more people went to the club to check it out. He had already managed to make the dance floor spin according to the beat of the song, but he was having some trouble connecting the fountain's water pipes to the staircase near the bar. It was a mad project, but if he managed to finish it on time, he would get a lot – a lot – of dough.

That project was beginning to drive him insane. Everyday, for a month now, he left his house and went to his office early in the morning, only stopped a couple of minutes to have lunch and came back to work some more. He got home so tired, he couldn't even reach for his bed and he ended up sleeping on the couch most of the times.

"You're gonna end up loosing it. For real." said Ashton, watching Ryan wake up in the middle of the living room. "You shouldn't work too much" he mumbled, as he buttered a lightly toasted piece of bread.

"It's ok, I'm fine!" said Ryan, cleaning off the drool on the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He turned his wrist and looked at his watch. "Oh, no! I'm gonna be late! I can't be late! Today is too important to be late!"

"What's so important about today?" asked the roommate, taking a sip of milk straight from the carton.

"I'm gonna meet the club's owner. You know, the nightclub I'm working on!" Ryan said, while changing his clothes. "I gotta go, bye!"

"Good luck, you're gonna need it!"

Ryan rushed downstairs (the elevator was broken and he had absolutely no idea why no one fixed it – maybe the cheap rent was the reason) and drove to the office. The traffic was chaotic and he had only 10 minutes to get there. He decided to park on the side of the road and rent a bicycle. He was so desperate that he was willing to take the risk of getting killed in the middle of Euclid Avenue. He pedaled as quickly as he could and he was there in exactly 8 minutes.

He took the elevator and went straight to the bathroom. He was all sweaty and he just couldn't meet such an important man looking like that. He washed his face and dried it lightly with a paper towel. He walked to his office, made sure everything was in order and sat patiently waiting for the phone to ring.

A couple of minutes later, the phone rang.

"Sure, send him in." said Ryan to the building's security. "Scarlett… what an odd name for a man!" he thought.

Two more minutes went by and a stunning blonde entered the room. She was wearing a grey silk dress that accentuated her beautiful curves and a red lipstick on her full, sexy lips. She walked seductively and her voice was like an angel's.

"You're Ryan, right?" asked the attractive young lady.

"Ri-right!" he stuttered. "And you are…?"

"Scarlett. Scarlett Johansson."

He was visibly in shock. He could never imagine that such a beautiful woman like Scarlett could be the owner of one of the most powerful nightclub industries in the world.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You are nothing like I expected…"

"Why?" she stared at him with her magnetic, deadly eyes.

"Well… I… Do-don't know why… I ju-just…"

"Are you ok?"

Scarlett was the most beautiful woman Ryan has ever seen and he wasn't feeling too comfortable talking to her. He wasn't comfortable talking to women in general, specially the ones who were that attractive. She was… ravishing! He couldn't take his eyes off her but, at the same time, looking at her was too nerve wracking.

"Ryan? Ryan!"

And that was the last thing he heard before passing out.

When he woke up, he was laying on his bed, being observed by a doctor.

"Hey man… are you ok?" asked Ashton.

"What happened?"

"You passed out and Bob called me and asked me to go take you home. You know Bob, that guy who works with you… When I got there, Bob told me you were talking to the owner of the nightclub, I think her name is Scarlett, I can't remember what he told me… and you passed out."

"Where is she? I need to talk to her! We were about to make really important decisions…"

"Bob told me she had to leave. When I got there, she was already gone."

"Ohhh man!"

"You're going to be just fine. Just relax and everything will be ok." said the doctor, right before leaving.

"What happened dude?" asked Ashton, sitting on the bed next to Ryan.

"I don't know… the last thing I remember is the image of a dazzling blonde walking into my office. That's all. Oh, yeah! And her voice was beautiful too."

"Please, don't tell me you passed out just because you got too nervous talking to a pretty girl."

"She wasn't just pretty… well, I blew everything. I'm such a loser."

"Cheer up, man! I don't get it, but some women actually think it's cute."

Ashton left the room and Ryan had only his thoughts to keep him company. He worked all this time on a project he thought was some old millionaire's idea. But no, not only she wasn't old at all, but incredibly appealing and creative and amazing and uhhh… thinking wasn't going to help. He needed some sleep. He wanted to dream about her.

When he woke up the next morning, the sun was shining bright and Ryan was late for work – again.

"Oh, I can't believe you're working today. Do I have to remind you that you passed out yesterday?"

"You're not my mommy. Besides, I'm feeling better. Bye!"

Ryan took the bus (his car was still waiting for him on the side of the road) and got there a few minutes late. Scarlett was already in his office.

"Hi"

"Hi…! What are yo-you doin' here?"

"I thought I'd stop by. I brought you soup… I really don't know what people who pass out should eat to feel better; I thought soup maybe could…"

"I love soup!" he said, nervously.

"So… are you ok?"

"Yes, yes! Yesterday I skipped breakfast and my blood pressure got too low…"

"Oh, ok!" she smiled. "I'm happy to know you're fine again. Now we can discuss the project"

"Yeah, sure, please sit down."

They talked about her ideas, his ideas, the budget, what he could do to make the staircase closer to the fountain so the dancers could dance in the water… It was going to be huge and Ryan was a bit worried if he could handle the job. When the conversation was over, she turned to him and said:

"So, do you think you can handle?"

"Suuure!"

"Great! Keep up the good work and I'll see you soon to talk about possible changes."

She left the office. He closed the door and sat on his desk. He placed his head between his hands in desperation and sighed. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn't going to finish it on time and he would disappoint Scarlett. That's the last thing he wanted! She seemed to like him a lot; at least that's what he thought.

When he arrived home, Ashton was still out. "Probably with a girl", Ryan thought. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate it while watching his Star Trek The Original Series DVD. For Kirk, everything seemed easy. He managed to keep the ship safe, win a battle against the Romulans and take a girl to bed in the end of the day. How did he do that? Ryan wondered about how great his life could be if he had the guts to ask Scarlett out on a date. "That's rubbish. She'd never say yes".

He decided it was late and went off to bed. A few moments after he closed his eyes, he saw a beautiful blond woman in front of him. He was at a park and in the middle of the park there was a huge building. The blond was sitting on a tablecloth that was spread wide on the grass and she was pouring some orange juice on a glass and handing it to him. On the tablecloth, there were fresh pieces of bread, three different kinds of jam, chocolate cookies and an orange juice jug.

"It's ok…" she said, her beautiful voice almost as beautiful as in real life.

"Really?" Ryan said.

"I'll say yes…"

She took a sip of juice and giggled flirtatiously. His alarm went off and he came back to reality. He put on his slippers, walked to the fridge and grabbed a piece of last night's cake. He walked around the pad looking for Ashton and when he opened his bedrooms door, there he was, laying next to a beautiful brunette. She did seem a lot older, but she was stunning. She was wearing nothing but black lace lingerie.

It was Sunday, so he thought he might as well get back to sleep. He went back to his bed, once again, by himself.

When Ashton woke up, the first thing he saw was the girl he met at the gym, Demi. He asked her out a couple of times, but she always had an excuse. Now, she was on his bed and by what he still remembered from the previous night, she liked him – a lot. He watched her wake up. He'd never done this before. He usually tries to run away before the girl wakes up. But this one was different. She opened her eyes slowly and starred at him, her eyes shining bright.

"Good morning, sunshine" he said and then kissed her lightly on the lips. "Would you like breakfast in bed?"


	2. Out for Coffee

**Chapter 2****: Out for Coffee**

"That's it. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna ask her out!" Ryan said to the mirror, with some toothpaste in the corner of his mouth. He finished brushing his teeth, took a shower and headed to the living room. When he sat on the couch, he stared at the phone for a couple of minutes before calling Scarlett.

"You're gonna call her and everything is going to be alright. Just like the dream." he said to himself, grabbed her card and typed her number on the phone.

"Hello" she said, after a few seconds.

He hung up. "Ohh man. I'm such a loser." he didn't know what to say, his mind went blank and he was beginning to feel sick. He called her again. This time, there was no excuse.

"Hi, it's Ryan, from engineering."

"Hi… how you've been?"

"Fine! How about you?"

"I'm great!"

"So, I was thinking… how about you and me going out for a cup of coffee?" he was feeling incredibly nervous, but he managed to sound relaxed.

"That would be nice"

"Oh, really? Great!" he seemed more enthusiastic than he wanted to, but she said 'yes' and it didn't matter how dorky he sounded!

"Do I go to your office or you wanna pick me up?"

"I'll pick you up at five. Ok?"

"Perfect"

She gave him her home address and at precisely 4:58 p.m. he was already waiting for her in front of her house. It was a mansion with a huge garden and a gardener working on her lawn. He felt a bit more intimidated than he was already. She appeared and she looked amazing. She was wearing a green dress and her skin looked particularly silky that day. He got off the car and opened the door for her.

"So, where are we going?"

"There's this cute place I usually go for coffee. I think you'll like it." he wasn't stuttering anymore. He was beginning to gain confidence since she was being so nice to him.

"Ok then!"

He drove for about 10 minutes and the conversation went from music, to movies and TV, back to music and then celebrities. They didn't even mention work. It wasn't official, but it was clear that was a date and they didn't wanna ruin it talking about work.

"Here we are" he said, getting off the car and opening the door for her. When she stepped out of the car, he found himself amazed by her beauty once more. It was too good to be true. Scarlett: a beautiful, powerful, intelligent woman going out with a nerd like Ryan? That couldn't be real. But it was.

They sat down by a table in the corner of the room, so they would have more privacy. She ordered a Mocaccino and he ordered the same. He was lying. He never drank coffee. And if he did, he certainly wouldn't go out to do so. But he needed a nice place to take her and that coffee place was the first spot that came to his mind. When the waiter came with the beverages, she smiled politely and took a sip, followed by a "hummm" sound. He drank it too, but it was too hot.

"Ahhh!" he screamed. "It's hot!"

"Of course it's hot! It's coffee!"

"Oh, yeah, I know. The thing is, I don't drink coffee too often. That's why." He lied and he was terrible at it. He had never drank coffee before. His mother never let him because if he did, he would lose his sleep.

They tried to ignore the awkward silence that followed that dialogue. After a few minutes, she had the initiative to break the ice:

"So, what's your situation?"

"What do you mean, my situation?"

"Is there a special girl in your life?" she asked flirtatiously.

"No, no, no!" he laughed. "No, there isn't!" he began to feel nervous.

Her cell phone rang and when she checked who it was, she said:

"Good to know. I'm terribly sorry, but I have to go. This was nice. I can't wait to go out with you again." she winked at him and before he knew it, she was gone.

He didn't move an inch. He stayed there, with his coffee in front of him – at this point, it was cold already – wondering about everything she said. It wasn't a lot to wonder about, but it was more than he'd ever talked about with a girl in years. She asked him what his situation was like. What did that mean? Did it mean that she was interested in a relationship with him? Did it mean that she was just trying to make conversation? It was really hard to know the answer to all those questions and with his social abilities, it was near impossible.

When he finished wondering about her body language – and what a body! – he took a few more sips of coffee and headed back home. He stopped at the traffic lights and said to himself:

"Coffee actually tastes quite nice"

Ashton was ready to take his relationship to the next level and he was going to introduce Demi to his roommate and his parents. When Ryan got home from his date with Scarlett, he found Demi and Ashton sitting on the couch watching Two and a Half Men.

"Hey, Ryan! I want you to meet Demi. She's my girlfriend."

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" asked Ryan, innocently. In the exact moment he asked that, the image of him sneaking into Ash's room and finding her half naked passed through his mind. He felt a drop of sweat coming down his forehead. He cleaned it with the back of his hand.

"I'm afraid I don't remember…" she said. Of course she didn't remember, she was sleeping like an angel after a wild night of sex and booze, not necessarily in that order.

"Then I must be mistaken. My name's Ryan" he shook her hand and smiled kindly.

"Where were you, big guy? You're not supposed to work today" said Ashton.

"I had to go, you know the boss… always making me work harder."

Ryan didn't want Ashton to know about his date. As a matter of fact, he didn't even want Ashton to know about Scarlett's existence. A womanizer like Ash wouldn't let go of the opportunity of hooking up with Scarlett. Ryan wasn't taking this whole 'girlfriend' deal too seriously and he doubted that Demi would be the one that would make a guy like Ashton settle down.

"So… Ryan. Are you going out for dinner with us?"

"No…no, he's not. This is supposed to be a date and I have plenty of romantic evenings with him." interrupted Ashton.

"See you guys later!" said Ryan, as Demi and his roommate left the apartment.


	3. Fantasy

**Chapter 3: Fantasy**

Ryan took off his clothes, took a bath and put on his Spider-Man PJs. He sat down and turned on the TV to watch a documentary about dinosaurs on Discovery Channel. When they were about to explain how those enormous creatures mated, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi." she didn't even need to say who she was. He recognized her voice in a split second. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"No. Why?"

"Maybe you could come to my house and we could have a glass of wine, maybe discuss about… engineering."

"Tha-that's a gr-great idea! What time do you want me to get there?"

"Is nine o'clock good for you?" she asked, her voice as seductive as ever.

"Nine's perfect. See you then"

"See you."

Ryan felt butterflies in his stomach. What did that mean? Did he have to take a condom with him?

He tried three different outfits. None of them was good enough! He re-applied his deodorant and tried his dark jeans on. Hummm, not too shabby. Funny T-Shirt? Out of the question. He had to wear something more adequate, like a buttoned shirt. He couldn't go wrong with a white buttoned shirt. Black shoes, black belt and a black blazer. Wow. He almost didn't recognize himself when he looked to the mirror. He sprayed some French cologne on his neck and was ready to go. He sat on the couch and looked to the clock on his wall. It was seven p.m.

Those were going to be the longest two hours of his life. At eight p.m., he couldn't stand the waiting anymore so he drove to Scarlett's place. He still remembered the address and he got there in no time so he waited a bit more before calling her, just so he didn't look like a desperate lonely man. When he finally did, she asked him to come in.

He got off the car and went through a gate, which opened automatically. He was astonished by her garden, so well taken care, so full of beautiful flowers and when he got to the house, he was impressed how big the door was. Everything about Scarlett was luxurious, big and impressive.

As she opened the door, the wind blew her light red dress and he could see a bit more of her beautiful legs than he was supposed to. She smiled graciously and kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome"

"I have to say, Mrs. Johansson, your house is amazing!"

"Please" she said. "Call me Scarlett"

She took his hand and walked him to the living room. As he walked closer, he could see that the beautiful brunette that was sitting on the couch was Demi.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan felt confused.

"Hummm! So you brought a little treat!" said Demi. She was wearing a black see-through night gown and lace lingerie.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in chock.

"You're about to find out." Scarlett took off his blazer and Demi came closer to him and whispered "Don't tell Ashton" right before pressing her lips against his.

His first instinct was to hold her in his arms and that's what he did. He felt her skin – so soft! – and he wrapped his fingers around her hair while kissing her passionately. When Demi was done kissing him, Scarlett pulled him and kissed him too. She rubbed her hands all over his body while Demi took off his pants. Scarlett kissed him again and he gently caressed her face. She took off his shirt and began performing an erotic massage.

"Do you like it, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, you've been a very naughty boy!" said Demi, who was completely naked.

Suddenly Ryan hears a tiny beep sound inside his mind. He looks around and doesn't quite know where the beeping is coming from. He tried to ignore it, but every 2 or 3 seconds that irritating noise haunted him again. Scarlett kissed him again and pointed her index finger to the middle of the living room. There was a pole – could it be more perfect? – and Demi jumped on it and started to pole dance.

"Beep"

Scarlett headed to the pole to dance too.

"Beep"

Demi got off the pole, came closer to Ryan and kissed him softly.

"Beep"

Oh that noise was starting to make him insane! What was that? All he wanted was to stop whatever was causing that terrible beeping.

"Demi! Scarlett! Demi! Scarlett, please! Ohhh" he screamed until he opened his eyes and saw his roommate standing still, staring at him like he was a crazy person. Standing right next to Ashton, there was Demi and by her facial expression she was… humm… for lack of a better word, terrified. He looked to his left and saw an alarm clock beeping. Now he knew where the noise was coming from. It was coming from a shameful situation.

"Oh, hi, hello! This is not what it looks like!"

Ashton was still scared, but he managed to keep it together. He had just seen his best friend have a sexy/weird/scary dream about his girlfriend! Ok, that was odd.

"Come on, I'll take you home" he said, pulling her away from Ryan.

Oh, great. Now his best friend's girlfriend thinks he is a pervert/maniac/psycho! He already had so many problems; one more wouldn't make a difference. Now he had to explain that to Ashton. The thing is… he didn't know how. He absolutely had no idea of what he would say to save his face. He was all sweaty, screaming her name and wearing super-hero pajamas. There was nothing to explain. That was the truth and the truth sucked.

When Ashton came back from consoling and trying to soften Demi's traumatizing experience, he wanted some explanations.

"I only have one question" Ashton said "Why?"

"I don't know why! How am I supposed to control my dreams? By the way, your girlfriend hates me now, not you."

Ashton sat on the couch and sighed. That girl seemed to be really important to him and he didn't want to screw things up. He finally wanted to be in a serious relationship and he was taking extra care of making everything perfect for her. He stayed there for a moment and then looked at Ryan.

"Tell me something, and be honest. Is this for real? Are you really into this girl?" asked Ryan.

"Of course it's for real! Can't you tell?"

"I can, but it's just that… it's weird seeing you with the same girl for more than two days. I've lived with you for over six years and I've never seen you take a relationship seriously. Demi seems to be a great girl. I don't want you to break her heart."

"You have sexy dreams about my girlfriend and then ask me not to break her heart? Do you have a crush on her, or something? Because if you do, it's on, biatch!" he wasn't kidding.

"Are you crazy? It has nothing to do with me! Just forget it! Every time I try to be a good friend, you make it sound twisted. I'm sick of it."

"Hey, chill out. Can't I be just a little jealous?" said Ashton.

"Yes, but you're not allowed to think I would do something like that to you, because I wouldn't. And it makes me sad to know you don't trust me."

Ryan stood up and entered his room, smashing the door behind him. He sat on his bed with his head between his hands and wondered for a moment. If he had the opportunity to be with Demi, wouldn't he? Hummm... interesting. That dream seemed more real now and he couldn't even trust his own principles. Ryan wasn't mad at Ashton, he was mad at himself.

His date with Scarlett wasn't as great as he expected it to be and now he didn't even know if his best friend could trust him. It was the first time he had drama in his life – and I'm not talking about Brothers & Sisters – and he wasn't happy at all. He had to make everything right again and the first thing he did was leave a message on Scarlett's answering machine.

"Hey, it's me, Ryan. This Saturday I'm having dinner with a bunch of friends and I'd really like it if you came as my date" he shivered a little when he said 'my date'. "So, if you feel like going, give me a call. It's Ryan."

"Shit! I said Ryan twice! She's going to think I'm such a loser…" he thought.

The message was cute, his voice sounded surprisingly confident and dinner with friends was the perfect opportunity to get to know her a little bit more. The thing is, there was no dinner and he didn't have a 'bunch of friends'. He had to set this thing up and he had to do it fast. It was Thursday and he had two options: find new friends and ask them out for dinner or beg Ashton to ask his friends to do that for him. Yeah, the chances he had of meeting new people and actually befriending them were too low to risk it.

"Ash… can you please… do me an enormous favor?"

He told his roommate all about how he liked Scarlett, how he wanted to go out with her and the first thing he thought was asking her to meet his friends but then he forgot he had no friends and... but wait! Ryan didn't want Ashton to meet Scarlett. If he would hit on Demi in a heartbeat, Ashton would take Scarlett to bed in less than that. But he had no more options and he had to take a chance. Maybe his friend wasn't a cheating bastard. Who knew?

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do for you. You're lucky, you know?"

Ryan tried to figure out where his luck was. Apparently, hiding somewhere.

"Saturday's the birthday of a guy I used to play football with every weekend. He got married and he couldn't go anymore, but we go out every once in a while. Will you help me call his friends and get a table at a nice restaurant?"

"I'll take care of everything. I'll throw a kick ass surprise dinner party, but please, get me some friends."

"Have I told you you're one weird dude?"

"Only hundreds of times"

"You're weird. But I like you."

Now that was one friendship moment Ryan would never forget! Ashton was his only friend and he could never hurt him. What was he thinking? Hitting on Demi… even if she gave him a chance – which was unlikely – he could never do that to Ashton and he was sure of that. Ashton was his best friend and if he liked Demi, he was the only one who's supposed to be with her. Ryan was happy everything was going his way and a bit worried about planning the dinner. But that was going to work out. Somehow he knew that.


	4. At Scarlett's

**Chapter 4: At Scarlett's**

On the next day, Ryan called the best restaurants in town and got a table at a nice pizza parlor he had gone to one time. He could still remember the delicious taste of the Margherita Pizza and the amazing smell that intoxicated the air of the restaurant. He couldn't go wrong with that one. Then he called Ashton's friends and almost all of them said they would go. Perfect! Everything was going so right, Ryan was afraid to say it out loud and ruin that breeze of good luck that was blowing his way.

He went to work and then came back home. Ate some Mac-n-Cheese, showered and headed to bed early. Scarlett hadn't called yet and he was feeling a bit apprehensive. He lost his sleep thinking what if she never called, or what if she called and said she couldn't make it? If she didn't go, he still had to throw a surprise dinner party for a total stranger. Oh, great. He was finally asleep and when he woke up, he had a missing call on his cell phone. It was Scarlett.

He brushed his teeth – as if she could smell his breath from the phone – and took a bath before calling her. When she said hello, the butterflies appeared in his stomach, as usual.

"Hi, Scarlett."

"Hello, Ryan. I received your message and I'd love to go with you."

"Oh, great! So, I'll give you the address and…"

"Ryan, I wanted to talk to you about our date, at the coffee house."

He would probably feel worried about what she had to say, but she already said that she was going to the dinner party with him, so nothing could ruin his good mood now.

"I'm so sorry I left you there, but that was a serious call. A business partner of mine was having some trouble, something I won't even bother you with, but I really had to go. I hope you didn't take it the wrong way, I really enjoy your company."

"Don't worry! I completely understand." he said.

"Oh, Ryan, you're the best"

"No. You are."

When she hung up, he still had a smile upon his face. She thought he was the best! Oh, happiness! He found it hard to remember another day he felt this good. Maybe when the last Harry Potter book came out. But this was different. This time he wouldn't ruin everything with his geeky behavior and his social awkwardness.

He should pick her up at seven and only an hour and a half away from the party, he still found some time to play Halo. When he finished playing, he picked out a nice outfit – black shirt, jeans and a dark blue hoodie –, showered and was ready to pick her up. Ashton was wearing a brown buttoned shirt and dark jeans and looked really good. Ryan was worried that Scarlett would feel attracted to his roommate, but he had to let that go. It was the only way, he had thought of all the other possibilities. Scarlett and Ashton were going to meet sooner or later and there was nothing he could do about it.

They were getting ready to leave the apartment and the door bell rang. It was Demi. She was looking ravishing with her black dress. It kinda looked a little like that night gown she was wearing in Ryan's dream, but you couldn't see her underwear through it.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late."

"It's ok, sweetie. You look amazing, as usual!" Ashton said before kissing her on the lips. Ryan stared at her for a moment and when he realized what he was doing, he looked away.

"Hey Ryan, how are ya?"

He nodded shyly and sprayed some perfume on his neck. "We should better get going."

The three of them left the pad and entered Ryan's car. Ryan was driving and Ashton and Demi sat on the back seat. When they got closer to Scarlett's house, Ashton and Demi felt astonished by the magnitude of the houses. "Wow. That's what I call a nice neighborhood!" said Demi.

Scarlett was standing in front of her house and when she saw his car, she ran and got inside. It was raining a little and she didn't want to ruin her velvet shoes. She was wearing a brown mini-skirt, a white shirt and a caramel jacket. She always looked sexy and professional at the same time. She was a powerful business woman and he thought that was a huge turn on.

"Hello!" said Ashton and Demi. "Ryan talks so much about you."

"Oh, you must be his roommate…"

"Ashton Kutcher, pleased to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Demi."

"Hello, Demi."

Marilyn Monroe! That's who! Now Ryan knew whose voice Scarlett's sounded like. He had Marilyn's voice fresh in his memory, he watched The Seven Year Itch that morning.

He drove to the pizza parlor and when they got there, Ashton said "hey" to a couple of friends who got there early.

"Where's the birthday boy?"

"Brian is in charge of bringing him here. He's going to tell him he really wants to eat pizza and he'll drag him here."

"Brian... I miss that dude... when was the last time I saw him? 2006?"

Ryan had no idea who that guy or Brian was, but all he wanted was to enjoy that evening with his crush and his new friends. Scarlett was looking especially beautiful and he just couldn't take his eyes off of her. She smelled like jasmines and her red lipstick was as inviting as it was intimidating.

Scarlett pulled Ryan's arm and placed those incredibly perfect lips close to his ear:

"It's too noisy in here, how about talking outside?"

"Ok! Hey, guys..."

"Only you and me"

"Oh, alright!" he could barely believe he was going to have some alone time with her.

She took his hand and they headed outside. It was cold, but a lot quieter than inside. She looked so deeply into his eyes that it took his breath away. "Now's the time! She's gonna kiss me!" he thought. She came closer and hugged him. They stayed there a few moments and he really didn't know what to do. He wanted to grab her, kiss her and take her home. But he couldn't, he was too scared. He didn't know what she really wanted; she was too difficult to read. She looked up and said:

"They're not your friends, are they?" she half-smiled.

"Wha-what do mean? Of course they are…"

"I'm not dumb"

"Ok, they're not." he flushed and hoped the dark could disguise his embarrassment. "But, how…?"

"I saw their faces when we walked in. You were as much of a stranger as I was."

"You're good…you're good." he actually thought she was great, but it wasn't called for.

"You don't have to do all this just to go out with me. If you'd just asked me out, I would have said 'yes'! So how about getting out of here and hanging out at my place?"

"You're the boss!"

It's almost impossible to describe what he was feeling at that moment. It was a mixture of excitement and fear. He feared ruining everything by moving too fast or maybe too slow. It was a long time since he felt like this and he had absolutely no idea how to behave. He drove her back to her house and they entered the huge gate. She took his hand and led him to her 'game room'.

"Do you have a 'game room'? That's awesome!" he said, as he climbed up the stairs. He was feeling like a little kid going to Disney World for the first time.

When they got there he was dazzled by the beauty of the room. She had everything he's ever dreamed of: a PlayStation 3 Console, Xbox 360, the complete Rock Band, a full home theater, a Dance Dance Revolution machine, an eighty inch flat screen television and hundreds of video games, concerts and movies DVD's.

The room was amazingly big and in the middle, there was a huge red sofa and the floor was covered by a star-themed carpet. When he looked at the floor, it seemed like he was floating in outer space. Next to the sofa, there was a mini-fridge full of snacks. The lights were low and it set a perfect mood for playing video games, watching movies and… well, he didn't want to keep his hopes high.

Closer to the wall, there was a pinball machine and a stereo system that resembled an old jukebox. There was a disco mirror ball on top of what he thought, was the dance floor.

"You really know how to have fun!"

"A busy woman like me needs her space to chill." she said. "But since we are in MY house, you'll have to do everything on MY own terms, agreed?"

"Agreed!" he was willing to do whatever she wanted. "Ohhh this night's going to be wild…" he thought.

She gave him a sign to wait and ran off to her bedroom. When she came back, she was wearing baggy pajama pants and a sweatshirt. She threw a pile of cozy clothes at him and said:

"When I stay at home, I wear pajamas. Now come on, fancy pants. Put on your PJs and let's see if you can defeat me in Guitar Hero."

He walked to the bathroom and put on the pajamas. It was practically his size and he felt very comfortable in them. He looked to the mirror and then he realized how goofy he looked. But it didn't matter. As goofy as he was, she chose him to go play Guitar Hero with her and no one could take that away from him. That was his moment. He took a deep breath, came back to the 'game room' and said "It's on!" as he picked up his guitar and challenged her in a Dance Dance Revolution dance-off.

He couldn't remember having this much fun with any other girl. Her laughter was like music to his ears and she laughed a lot that night. They both had a lot of innocent, friendly fun. Maybe that was the answer. Maybe they didn't have to make out or sleep together to have fun. He felt more comfortable being her friend and it didn't look like such a bad idea after all. He looked at his watch and decided it was time to go home.

"It's late; I think I better go home now…"

"Yeah, what time is it?"

"2:45 in the morning"

"Maybe you could sleep over" she said, shyly.

"Oh no… thanks, but I won't outstay my welcome."

"I insist. You're my guest of honor!"

He thought about it for a moment. If he went home, she could feel offended. If he stayed, maybe the night could bring him something special.

"Ok, thanks!"

"I'll show you your room"

She walked to the 3rd floor and he followed her all the way to a big hallway. There were six doors. Two doors had a "Guest Room" sign and she led him into the second.

"This one's bigger than the other" she said. He smiled and followed her into the room he was going to spend the night.

It was bigger than his whole apartment! The king-size bed took place in the middle of the room and the white sheets were quite inviting. The Persian carpet smoothed his steps as he walked further to check out the furniture. It even had a mini-fridge right next to the bed!

"It looks like the Hilton's presidential suite" he thought.

The room smelled like summer air and in the bathroom, oh! What a surprise. A Jacuzzi. He was overwhelmed by the beauty and the majesty of that house and when he looked at Scarlett, she was smiling at him. Could it be more perfect? He sat on the bed and stared at the mirror that covered the entire wall. She sat next to him and they both stayed there for a few minutes, resting from a tiring video games night. He yawned.

"Oh, I really should let you get some sleep! I'm the worst host!", and before he could say "No! You're the best host in the world!" she had already left the room. "Hunf" was all he moaned before he brushed his teeth and got under the covers. As he usually does when he sleeps over, he had some trouble falling asleep. The craziest thoughts ran through his mind and he began feeling anxious. He thought about crawling to Scarlett's room and stealing a kiss. He also thought about leaving in the middle of the night, but he knew it was a stupid idea. He decided it was way past his bed time, closed his eyes and started thinking about sunny beaches, green fields filled with flowers, puppies… It usually helped him fall asleep.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like someone opened his door. Then he didn't hear anything, but he knew the Persian carpet would soften the impact of the footsteps so they wouldn't make a sound. But he knew he wasn't alone. He could feel the presence of the intruder. Then he heard a voice.

"Ryan." Scarlett's sweet voice echoed in Ryan's head.

"Oh, no… Am I dreaming? This isn't funny, come on!"

"Great! You're awake! No, you're not dreaming, it's me, Scarlett!"

He turned to look and he could see her staring at him, her eyes shining bright. Even thought the only light source he had was the digital clock, he could see that she was smiling. He turned the night light on and sat on the bed.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, it's just that… I can't sleep."

"Me too. Maybe it's the late night Dance Dance Revolution." he said. "Do you want to stay here with me?"

"Yes. Can I?"

"Of course you…"

Before he could finish his sentence, she began moving closer and closer. He knew what was coming next and he didn't know if he was ready. In that split second, a thousand things went through his mind until it was too late and her lips reached his. She kissed him gently and moved her body closer to his. When their lips parted, she looked at him, waiting for a reaction. He stared at her, in total gratitude. The next thing he did was kiss her again, more passionately this time. He pulled her hair gently while their tongues were twisting with unstoppable desire. Their lips were in perfect sync and that kiss ended with him kissing his way to her neck.

"You're so…"

"Perfect? Yeah, I know." She said, giggling. "You're not so bad yourself"

Scarlett's perfume was casting an intoxicating spell on Ryan and he couldn't resist anymore. Her skin was so soft; her lips were so… tasty. He wanted to taste some more. They spent the night together and there's really no need to tell the readers what happened, because it isn't hard to guess.

He was the first one to wake up, looked to his left and saw a beautiful sunrise shining through the silk curtains. The fresh smell of the morning made that moment even more special. He looked to his right and saw a beautiful blond woman sleeping next to him. He could feel her breathing deep and he could hear the beating of her heart. He watched her sleep and wondered about how lucky he was.

"I never thought this could happen to me. It feels like I'm dreaming. But I don't want to wake up from this dream. I don't want to wake up from her." he thought.

Her head and shoulders moved a few inches, enough to make Ryan notice that she was awake. She turned to him and smiled in pure happiness.

"Good morning" she whispered, her throat sore from last night's karaoke singing.

"Good morning, my angel" he said while caressing her cheeks with the back of his hand. "Last night was… so perfect! I'm really glad you invited me to sleep over"

"Come on… you were the one who set a surprise dinner party just to have an excuse to see me"

"There's no fooling you, is there?"

The door opened and a maid entered the room holding a tray with their breakfast: a jar of fresh orange juice, another one filled with milk, the finest kinds of cheese and warm pieces of bread. On a bowl, there were apples, oranges, bananas and kiwis. He felt like a king, and he sure was being treated like one.

"Thanks, Consuelo. This is Ryan"

"You're welcome. Nice to meet you, Ryan" said the maid, politely.

"Nice to meet you, Consuelo"

Consuelo left the room with a kind smile on her face. Scarlett explained Ryan that Consuelo was her maid for a long time and someone she could really trust. She had left her family in Mexico and became an illegal immigrant in the United States. When she looked for work, she found Scarlett's middle-class family, which welcomed her into their home. As Scarlett grew older, she befriended Consuelo and helped her get a Green Card. Now, Consuelo was an American citizen and was nothing but grateful and loyal to the blond. Scarlett became a rich and successful woman, but one thing never changed: Consuelo's companion and friendship.

"It's nice to have someone you can trust" said Ryan.

"You know you can always trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I'll always be here for you too."

After eating the delicious breakfast the Mexican woman prepared for them, the newest couple got up and headed to the living room. They had a long day ahead of them and they couldn't waste another minute. Ryan kissed her good-bye and went straight to his office. Scarlett's nightclub project was his priority and he wanted that to be finished as soon as possible. He worked all day long until he couldn't stand it anymore. He drove back home and he found Ashton and Demi making out on the couch.

"Hey…" Ryan said without even looking at them and rushed to his bedroom.

He took a long shower, slipped into his PJs and laid down on his bed. Last night's images came rushing through his mind and they made him so happy! Having trouble at work, being stuck in traffic, everything was worth it if at the end of the day he saw her even for a couple of hours. He was so in love with her! But he couldn't help but wondering if she was in love with him too. Anyway, it was too late and he was too tired of worrying. He fell asleep sooner than he thought he would and he had sweet, beautiful dreams.


	5. Demi's Situation

**Chapter 5****: Demi's Situation**

He dreamt he was taller, stronger and more powerful. In the dream, he was wearing a Black & Green Lycra outfit, of course he was a super-hero (he reads so many comic-books that it's almost inevitable to dream about it). He was flying over the city and he saw a pale white, skinny boy leaving a comic-book store. That boy was so vulnerable; Ryan new something bad was going to happen. As the boy crossed the street, a couple of other boys a little bit older followed him and mugged him. They pointed a knife at him and when Ryan was about to go there and punish them for their crimes, the skinny, helpless boy took off his clothes and showed his super-hero uniform. It was a Black & Red leather suit with a red "M" in the middle of his chest. His black hair gained red highlights and he became taller and stronger.

Ryan could barely believe his eyes; the boy was actually getting rid of the muggers, super-hero style! The mysterious "M" punched one in the jaw and kicked the other one in the legs, leaving them bleeding on the asphalt.

"Now you'll learn to never mess with the Red Mist again"

When the fight was over, the muggers were left unconscious in the back of an alley and when the boy turned to go on his way, his hair, his height and his strength came back to normal and so did his clothes. Ryan was so impressed with the young super-hero that he followed him to his house and entered without his parents noticing. When the boy walked up stairs and opened his bedroom door, he found Ryan – or, should I say, Green Lightning – standing by his desk.

"Wow. Cool outfit."

"Do you know who I am?" asked Ryan.

"No, but I noticed you watching me get rid of those losers. Then you followed me here."

"Incredible! Even with my super-speed, you were able to see me following you."

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Red Mist."

"Green Lighting" Ryan said, shaking hands with his new found friend.

The super-heroes spent the day talking about their adventures, the bad guys they found along the way, the amazing women they met and the glories of having all those wonderful powers. Green Lightning told him about Scarlett, who was a very important lady in his life. Red Mist told him to go for it, and even being way younger than Ryan, he knew how hard it was to find a good girl nowadays.

"They want to date me just when I'm Red Mist. When I'm skinny, pale, weak, they don't want me. I dream about the day I'll find a girl who loves me for who I am."

"I think I might have found the one, but I don't know if it's the right time to tell her I'm a super-hero." said Green Lightning. "But I'm sure you'll find a girl too. You're a great guy and even though I don't know you that well, I can tell you'd make an amazing husband."

"Wait, wait! I just want a girlfriend!" laughed the boy.

It was hard for Ryan to understand how that boy could become such a strong super-hero and if he hadn't seen Red Mist fighting, he wouldn't have believed it. But there he was, talking to someone who could be his new apprentice or even a source of inspiration. That boy was going places and Ryan knew it.

After a couple of hours talking, Red Mist turned to Ryan and said something he never thought he'd hear in his life:

"You'd make a great dad"

"Come on, I'm not that old!" said Ryan, a little bit shocked and flattered by the comment. "But thanks! I'd love to have a son like you, I'd teach him everything I know and together we'd make crime seem like an ancient problem."

"I can only imagine what having a supportive dad must be like. My parents don't even know my secret identity and I have to sneak back to my house without being caught. It really bothers me, you know. It would be so amazing to share my adventures and stories with them, make 'em proud, ya know?"

"Tell me about it… Scarlett doesn't have the slightest idea I'm a super-hero. After saving people from danger, I get home and I have to hide my spandex. If someday she finds it, I'm just gonna tell her it's an old Halloween costume. Do you know what it would mean to me to tell her the truth? It would mean the world. But I can't, I know she'd be too freaked out if she knew. I don't want her to worry about me, to worry if I'm going to be alive the next morning."

"If she really loves you, she's going to accept it. It will be hard at first, but she'll get used to it eventually."

"It's more complicated than that." said Ryan. "Wait… I'm seeking for romantic advice from a seventeen year old? Aw, give me a break!" he laughed.

"Seventeen and a half!"

That was the last thing he heard Red Mist say because when he opened his eyes, he saw his bedroom's ceiling instead of the skinny pale white boy he was talking to a few moments ago. He looked around and stared at his furniture. It was a normal room, with regular stuff in it. Then he opened his closet: ordinary hangers hanging ordinary clothes. No Black & Green spandex whatsoever. He was far from being a super-hero and he knew that.

"This is stupid! Just because I had a silly – but incredibly fun – dream about super-heroes, I'm going to change everything about my life and become one?" he thought.

This wasn't the first time strange thoughts came through his mind and he knew this wasn't going to be the last. He put on his clothes and walked to the kitchen to have breakfast. Ashton was there already, making scrambled eggs that smelled absolutely delicious.

"Hey man"

"Hey"

"So, aren't you gonna tell me how was your night with Scarlett?"

"I was going to, but you were getting busy with Demi so… I didn't want to interrupt" said Ryan, winking at Ashton.

"Ohh come on! Don't make me beg! Tell me everything… is she as good as she looks like?"

"That's so insensitive of you! How can you talk about Scarlett like that? Don't you have any respect for her? But, yeah… she's amazing!" he laughed.

"My man…! I'm so proud of ya! You know what we should do? We should celebrate! Let's go out and have some beers! I'm paying!"

"Ashton, it's 9:00 A.M."

"Really? What am I doing up? I'll go back to bed, wake me up at 2 P.M., alright?"

"What's so important about 2 P.M.?" asked Ryan.

"Nothing. It's just that I don't want to miss a meal and by 2 P.M. I'm gonna want to eat something…"

"Ok. Oh, man. You're weird."

Ryan drove to work and spent most of his day working on Scarlett's project. It was 4:30 P.M. when he decided he was going out for some coffee. He grabbed his jacket, left his office and smiled awkwardly as he entered the crowded elevator. There was a Starbucks right across the street and when he got there he had to take off his jacket quickly, it was so hot inside. He wondered when he started going to Starbucks so often and he remembered it was since he asked Scarlett out to get some coffee and things didn't work out as well as he wanted. When he thought about that, he couldn't stop himself from laughing. He thought it was wonderful to have all those memories from the time she wasn't with him already, they made him cherish every moment with her even more.

He asked for a triple latte and a kind young woman served it to him. He drank it slowly, knowing that at the exact moment he finished it, he would have to come back to the office and work some more. When he looked to his left, he saw Demi standing right next to him, but she hadn't seen him yet.

"Demi!"

"Oh, hi Ryan!" she said, as he got closer to her.

"So, how's everything? I didn't have the chance to talk to you last night you were at our pad, what have you been up to?"

"Please, forgive me, I'm so rude! I didn't even have the politeness to say "hi" to you…"

"I'm messing with you! Of course you couldn't say "hi", your lips were too busy! All jokes aside, I know what it's like to be with someone you love and I just wanna see you and Ashton happy. I got myself a girl, too! Remember Scarlett?"

"Wasn't she your date when we went to that dinner party thing?"

"Yeah, that's her!"

"Wow! She's quite a catch! I knew there was something special going on between you two by the way she looked at you that night. I'm so glad for you!" she said. "But there's something I needed to tell you and I think this is the right time."

Oh, no. She wasn't smiling anymore. It couldn't be anything good.

"I really don't know how to say this, but I don't think I'm in love with Ashton anymore. I mean, he's fun and all, but I'm not ready for a commitment. At first, I could tell he didn't want anything serious, so I thought it was ok, but now… now I think he's falling for me and if we stay together, things will only get worse. I don't want to break his heart so I think we shouldn't see each other anymore. It's for the best."

Ryan's facial expression was of total disappointment. The first time Ashton actually falls in love, and he's about to have his heart broken, badly. Ryan wasn't too good at handling with people's emotions – or even his own - but this time, Ashton needed him and he had to help his friend.

"What do you mean, didn't want anything serious? He's not falling for you; he'd already fallen for you a long time ago. Since he asked you out and you never said yes, since you went out for the first time! He wasn't sure, but he was completely in love. I know Ashton for a long time and I'd never seen him like this and now you're trying to convince me he didn't want anything serious?" he said. Ryan wasn't the fighting type, but he was truly angry and he wanted to get things straight with Demi.

"Please, try to understand! It's not my fault he fell for me! I never gave any indication that I was looking for something serious."

"Ok, stop trying to explain yourself. You're right; it's not your fault. But you're gonna have to find a way to tell him and it's not gonna be easy."

"I know. But you're his best friend and I think you should be the one to tell him. I'm horrible with these things…"

Ryan nodded and turned away. Going to the office was going to be less awkward than staying there talking to her, so he decided the best thing he could do at that moment was work. He drowned himself in Scarlett's project and forgot all about the world around him. Every time he had a problem in his personal life, were the best times to get things done. Driving back home, he thought about all the possible ways he could tell Ashton that the girl he loved isn't in love with him. Man! There wasn't a good way to say it!

Ryan got home and found Ashton sitting on the couch watching TV. The word "innocence" passed through Ryan's mind right before he sat by his side and stared at him with worried eyes.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Nothing much… just wanted to tell you something… it's not a big deal, I mean, you shouldn't worry. I'm here for you…"

"What the hell are you talking about? You're starting to freak me out!"

"It's just that…" Ryan mumbled. "I ran into Demi this afternoon, we talked a little and she told me something I don't think you'd be too glad to know… Not at first, but after a while you'll feel better and…"

"Tell me!"

"Okay… Demi told me she wasn't looking for a serious relationship and now she wants to break up with you." said Ryan, his eyes wide open waiting for his friend's reaction.

Ashton half-opened his mouth in complete shock and slowly turned to face Ryan. Suddenly, a juvenile smirk took over his expression. Ryan seemed confused.

"Are you ok?"

"Man, I can't believe this! I was the one who was going to brake up with her!" laughed Ashton. "This is going to avoid an awkward situation!"

"Good! I thought you… never mind! I'm glad you're okay."

"Don't worry. I'm happy Demi and I agree on at least something: we shouldn't be together anymore!"

What a relief! All the worrying and planning seemed ridiculous now that Ryan knew Ashton wasn't in love with Demi. It made everything a lot easier. Things couldn't be better for Ryan and apparently, for Ashton too. He would go back being all he always loved to be: a bachelor. Ryan, on the other hand, was enjoying having a girlfriend since that's what he wanted for so long ago. Oh, yeah. He still had to tell Demi about Ashton's reaction. He was so irrationally mad at her that he wanted to see the look on her face when he told her that his friend wasn't in love with her. He used to call that "pay back time". He didn't have one since high school and he wouldn't miss it for a thing.

The next day, he called Demi and said he needed to meet her. Later on, he went to that same Starbucks and saw her sitting by the balcony, wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses. It was like she was under cover or something, but he didn't notice that.

"I told him."

"And…? Is he okay?" asked Demi.

"Trust me, I wasn't expecting it, but he took it better than I thought. Actually, he said he was going to dump you. He felt good that you felt the same way and now he's the same old Ashton again."

"Oh, okay." she didn't seem happy at all. "If it's for the best…"

"Wait a minute. You don't seem fine. What's the matter? Didn't you wanna break up with him anyway?"

"It's more complicated than you could even imagine. I shouldn't tell you this, but… I didn't want to break up with Ashton. I had to."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"My ex-husband's been threatening me and if I kept dating Ashton, he would…" a tear rolled down her left cheek.

Ryan held her in his arms and she cried even more. He kissed her forehead and suddenly, he wasn't mad at her. He felt sympathy for her and would do anything he could to help her.

"He couldn't handle the fact that I've already moved on. He's always been jealous of me, but now his jealousy is ruining my life. Everyone I meet, everywhere I go I'm afraid he's going to find me and put an end to my happiness. Ashton showed me what loving someone was really about, but now, it's over. And even if he wanted to get back together, it would be too dangerous. When I think about what could happen to him if my ex finds out we're still dating… I don't even want to…" she burst in tears of desperation.

"It's okay, you're here with me and nothing's going to hurt you…" Ryan caressed the top of Demi's head while hugging her. His shirt was wet from all the crying and the more it got wet, the more he wanted to help her find a way out of this mess. He was so caught up by the whole situation that he didn't see Scarlett's maid staring at him and Demi with a suspicious look upon her face.

"Scarlett's not going to be happy about it" Consuelo mumbled to herself and left the coffee house.

Demi wiped off her tears and freed herself from Ryan's strong embrace.

"I'd better go now"

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he asked.

"Anywhere is safer than here. For all I know, he could be right around the corner waiting for us. I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you!"

"Fine, but promise me you won't hesitate asking for help."

"Okay."

Demi left the store and Ryan ordered a Latte to go. He headed to his office and spent the whole day working. But this time he just couldn't focus, he was too worried about Demi. A few hours ago he wanted to get back at her by saying mean things and now all he wanted to do was help her and get rid of her crazy ex-husband.

That dream he had a few nights ago passed through his mind. Maybe that was his chance to act like a super-hero. Not a real super-hero, not the kind that wears a Lycra spandex and flies over the city looking for action. Not that kind. He wanted to be his own kind of super-hero, the kind that saves his friends from stalkers and gets the girl in the end. The first thing he needed to do was find that piece of shit.

He called Demi from work and asked what his name was. "Bruce Willis" she said. "But please don't mess with him, you don't know what he's capable of" she added, but he didn't pay too much attention to that part.

He searched the Internet and found nothing suspicious about him. Bruce Willis was a 47 year-old orthodontist who used to have a blog, but the last time he posted was 5 years ago. There were pictures of him wearing a white jacket to promote his clinic. He looked really good for someone his age, his eyes were a brownish shade of green and he was bald. It was going to be tough to get rid of him, but Ryan knew he had to protect Demi from that psycho.

Later that day he drank the Latte and began feeling dizzy. He worked too much and now he had to get some sleep. He drove back home and looked for Ashton to ask what pizza flavor he wanted to order. When he opened Ashton's bedroom door he found his friend sitting on his bed, crying. Ryan immediately sat by his side and asked him what was going on.

"I never thought I could feel this way, but I just can't stand the fact that Demi dumped me. I mean, is there someone else? Did she tell you anything? What does he have that I don't?"

"Chill out man! It's nothing like that! There's no one else… and weren't you going to dump her anyway?"

"It's a long story…"

"I can imagine, but if I have to stay up listening to you cry, I can stay up listening to that story."

"Okay, here's the deal. I felt scared because it was turning to something more serious than I could ever imagine it would. You know me… I like hanging with different girls all the time but lately, I couldn't feel attracted to any other girl who wasn't Demi. I was completely into her. But sometimes, she seemed to be so distant."

Ryan figured she could be thinking about Bruce, about getting rid of him before it was too late, before she had to brake up with Ash.

"Her face went blank and her mind was filled with thoughts, but I couldn't imagine what those thoughts were about and that made me worried. I was so afraid to lose her that I decided it was best to let her go. It wasn't healthy liking someone that much, at least that's what I thought at the time. But now I know I wasn't ready to brake up with her. My life without her is just… pointless." cried Ashton.

"She's not worth it, dude" said Ryan. Oh yes, she was worth it. But Ryan just couldn't tell him the truth. At least not yet.

"Oh yeah, she is! She's the most wonderful woman I'll ever get the chance to meet and I blew it! I know what I'm gonna do!"

Ashton reached his cell phone and dialed her number. Faster than he could think, Ryan took it from Ashton's hand and turned it off. He couldn't let him call her. Bruce could be tracing the phone calls, who knows?

"Man, you need to cool down. I'm going to cook you some dinner and everything will be okay."

"You're probably right." said Ashton, after taking a deep breath. "I should stop bothering you; after all, you must have your own problems."

That's when it hit him. Ryan had no problems of his own. He was just trying to fix everyone else's problems. But he didn't feel bad about it, au contraire! He thought it was a great opportunity to show his friends how much he loved them. Oh Ryan, such a great guy since high school. Maybe that's why he always finished last.

He went to the kitchen, cooked some meat balls with pasta and brought it to Ashton's bedroom. They ate together and things were going back to normal. They turned on the TV and watched The Big Bang Theory. It was one of their favorite TV shows. When the episode was over, Ryan did the dishes and when he looked at Ashton, he was sleeping with the TV on. Ryan turned it off and crawled into his bedroom to get some sleep too.


	6. The Policeman

**Chapter 6: The Policeman **

In the next morning, Ryan's cell phone ring tone woke him up. It was Scarlett and she wanted to know when they could get together. She wanted to meet him in his apartment, since she was already in the neighborhood.

"You can come right now, if you want. I'm just going to slip into the shower and brush my teeth. You don't deserve to feel my breath right now, it's really gross."

She didn't laugh. She'd usually laugh at his self consciousness. He did as he said and twenty minutes later he was brushing his teeth, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The doorbell rang and he answered the door with his toothbrush in one hand. As he opened the door, she grabbed him and kissed him like never before, so passionately, so aggressively… until his towel fell on the floor.

His cheeks flushed and he covered himself with his hands. She closed the door behind him and I will now preserve their intimacy, but you can imagine what happened. If you still don't know, let me give you a hint: she was wearing nothing under her big red coat.

When she finally let him rest, he turned to face her and asked what caused her wild behavior.

"Honey, sugar, love of my life…"

"Yes…?"

"Consuelo told me she saw you with a woman… a very attractive brunette. Is that true, my love?"

Now he understood everything. Scarlett could be everything, but stupid and unreasonable.

"Yes, that is true. But she's just my friend, nothing more."

"Of course she is." he could see the relief she felt just by looking into her eyes.

"Was this jealous sex? 'Cause if it was, I'm going to make you really jealous all the time."

"Shut up!" she laughed and threw a pillow against Ryan's face. They giggled like two people who found real love for the first time and just enjoyed that wonderful moment together.

"I'm so lucky to have you"

She smiled and kissed him. It was impossible to resist her smile. When she smiled was like the whole world had lost importance and all that mattered was being with her and making her smile once more. Scarlett was someone Ryan could trust completely, so he decided to tell her all about Demi's problem, even though he knew it probably wouldn't be such a good idea to bother her with that.

"Poor girl… But maybe I can help her."

"What?"

"I know someone in the police. Maybe he can help us find this guy and we can get rid of him."

"We?"

"Well, sure! Since we don't have any evidence that he's a stalking piece of shit, putting him on trial would be useless. We'll have to do everything by ourselves." she said, and she wasn't kidding.

Ryan couldn't help but being proud of her. She was so courageous, so determined, so… heroic! Way more than he was. But he wasn't jealous or anything, he just admired her and was glad he could stand – or, in this case, lay – beside her.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's find him!"

"Ok, just let me call a friend of mine…" she said.

Scarlett stayed on the phone for about two minutes. That was enough to arrange the time and place they were meeting him. After about half an hour, Scarlett put her clothes back on and drove Ryan to an alley close to his office. She thought that was the less suspect place she could meet him.

When they got there, he hadn't arrived yet. Ryan got a bit apprehensive; it wasn't a nice place at all. There were dumpsters and papers covering the floor (probably some homeless person's bed) and the smell… was just disgusting! He wasn't used to that, he was a momma's boy! If his mother knew where he was getting into… she wouldn't be pleased at all. But he had to make sacrifices in order to help his friends, even if it meant ruining his new Vintage Adidas.

A tall, muscular man walked by them. The strong jaw line on his face made his appearance very intimidating and he looked like a man you wouldn't want to mess with. He was frowning as he grabbed that day's paper and pretended to read it. Actually, he was just waiting for Scarlett's sign.

"Pineapple"

"Hi, milady!" as he turned to face them, Ryan could see that a big smile took over the serious man's face. "Oh, I missed you so much. But that's probably a good thing, it means you're out of trouble, young lady!" he called her 'young lady' even though he didn't look much older than her.

"Anyway, I'm your friend… I should have called or something" she was smiling too.

They were all smiling at each other and Ryan didn't like that at all. But he shouldn't feel jealous. The policeman's relationship with Scarlett was more like of a father and a daughter than anything. She respected him and he was proud of her. But wait! Why did he say "it means you're out of trouble"? Has she ever been in trouble? A thousand questions ran through Ryan's mind but he had to focus now. That was the man who could help Demi so he had to pay attention to everything he said.

"So… our friend got a little situation going on…"

"Say no more. I'm here to help, baby!"

Scarlett told him all about Demi and her ex-husband, about how important this was because of what she meant to Ashton and everything. The man just nodded along, listening to every word. When she was done telling him what was going on, he simply said:

"I got this. Don't worry."

"I know you do"

Ryan just stood there watching them get things done. They talked like they were freaking crime-fighters! Scarlett looked so hot talking about crime and danger…! Ryan had to control himself not to ruin everything and grab her in the middle of the conversation. The mysterious man, who kept his identity a secret, seemed to have everything under control. That made Ryan feel a little calmer, but the breeze that went right through them and carried the smell from the gutter really gave him goose bumps. Good thing it wasn't at night, 'cause if it was, Ryan would probably have chickened out.

Without even saying goodbye, Scarlett turned to face Ryan, took his hand and got him out of there. It wasn't safe being there without the presence of a policeman. As she was driving Ryan back to his apartment, he mentioned not having anything to eat, so they went to a little place called "The Envious Starfish". Even though the name was ridiculous, the place was really nice. It was sort of a mall but a bit more exclusive, only rich people could hang out there, all the stores had designers' brands and everything was really expensive. But of course, that wasn't a problem for Scarlett. She was starving, so she suggested they talked about what had just happened over lunch. They went to a little Chinese restaurant and ordered some Yakisoba and Kung Pao Chicken. After a few moments, they were already eating and discussing what was that all about.

"Who is that man?"

"Just an old friend..." she had the same smile on her face that she had when she was talking to the policeman.

"Are you... just friends?"

"Don't be silly. He's like a father to me"

"Alright, but can we really trust this guy?"

"Of course we can. He showed himself very reliable in the past, he wouldn't disappoint me now!"

"What do you mean, in the past?" now he was getting where he wanted to in the first place.

"Nothing... just... let's talk about this later, honey. Don't worry, it's nothing serious"

"Okay..." he wasn't too worried. Until now. But he didn't want to seem too pushy, so he changed the subject. "What was that 'pineapple' thing all about? That was funny as hell, but freaked me out a little."

Scarlett laughed at his ingenuity. She explained him that her friend had to be sure that who he was talking to on the phone was really her. 'Cause if it wasn't, she wouldn't know the secret word. They usually picked a silly word, like a fruit, but always a word you usually don't say out of the blue.

"So, what is he going to do to help Demi?"

"First, he's going to check if Bruce has a criminal record already. That would make things a lot easier. If he does, we don't even have to worry anymore, we got him."

"But if he doesn't?"

"We are going to find out where he lives, where he goes to work, where he normally buys coffee… things like that. We're going to find out everything about this man, from his favorite cereal to who he sleeps with. If he keeps doing this to Demi, we're going to make his life a living hell and he'll feel sorry for the day he was born."

"Sounds good. Shall we order some desert?"

They left the restaurant and she dropped him home. Scarlett had to go to her friend's house to help her get things ready for a baby shower. That's when Ryan remembered that she's a normal woman, with regular friends and baby showers. He had that image in his head that she was some kind of heroine and crime-fighting was a usual part of her day. She was a walking contradiction, and that's what he loved the most about her. She could be delicate and strong at the same time. She could make him beg for her love and show some vulnerability at the same moment. He didn't know how she did that. The only thing he knew was that he was absolutely in love with her.

Before he went to bed, he watched some Two and a Half Men and ate what left over from last night's dinner. He had to sleep early because he was supposed to pick Scarlett up at 8 a.m. and take her to the policeman's office. That was the only time he knew for sure no one would see them. This time, he didn't dream at all.

When he woke up, he didn't even have time to shower because it was 7:30 a.m. already, so he put on the first clothes that he found and jumped into his car to get there on time. He drove to Scarlett's house and she quickly entered the car.

"We're gonna be late if you don't squeeze the accelerator harder!"

"Ok, ok! But if I go too fast, we're gonna crash and that would take all of our time!"

"Go faster!"

They were very nervous about whether or not they were going to find anything that would help them get Bruce Willis and put him behind bars. Scarlett gave him all the directions and they got there just in time. It was a tall building with silver windows. "To rent an office in here must cost a fortune", Ryan thought. "This guy must be really good at what he does". It was indeed a really expensive location and the building was astonishingly monumental.

They entered the reception and headed for the elevator. The screen showed "17" and that's where they got off. The hallway was incredibly broad and there weren't many offices, which meant that each one of them was huge. Each door had a number on it and as they entered the door number 1702, Ryan was impressed with the size of the office. It was at least ten times bigger than his.

"Please, have a seat." the policeman said when he heard them come in. He was standing by his chair, looking through the window, which was as big as the wall, making the whole office seem to be some sort of a glass cage. The view was absolutely amazing and the sky was particularly blue that day. No clouds whatsoever. Scarlett was the first one to sit down and Ryan did the same. The policeman turned to face them and he stared at Ryan with a fierce look upon his face.

"Are you her boyfriend, or something?"

"Yes."

The room got strangely quiet at that moment. He felt as nervous as he would feel if he was being interrogated by her father.

"Then you're a lucky man! She's a great girl, I know for sure."

Ryan breathed in relief and Scarlett giggled. They held hands for a little while and the man got serious again. They decided it wasn't such a good idea to make him jealous. He was too protective of Scarlett and as much as he liked to see her happy, she was still his little girl. The man had shark's eyes and it was like he could look right into Ryan's soul. It was a creepy feeling, Ryan would say.

"I was doing some research to find out a little bit more about Bruce and I think you'll be happy to know that I know practically everything there is to know about him" said the policeman.

"Oh! That's amazing! You're the best"

"He's an orthodontist and he's in his late 40's." Ryan knew that already, so he just smirked and stared at the man with some arrogance on his eyes. The policeman kept on saying what he discovered:

"He lives on Gerard Avenue, 420 and works on the same street, number 450. He goes every weekend to The Envious Starfish' Movie Theater and the last time he went to the movies, he watched Knight and Day. His favorite restaurant is a little Italian place called Alfredo's. He's not seeing anyone at the moment and he's clearly still in love with his ex-wife, Demi Moore." Ryan's smirk disappeared from his face as soon as he realized that the policeman knew way more than he did.

"Our main goal is to protect our friend Demi from this crazy man" said Scarlett.

"I thought we could scare him a little bit. Just to see who we are messing with. If he's just a lonely man hoping to get his wife back, he'll stop. But if he keeps stalking her even after I do what I'm planning to do, it means we're dealing with something more serious."

"What are you planning to do?" asked Ryan. "Maybe I could help"

"Oh no, kid. It's way too dangerous for you. I'm gonna ask one of my guys to do this for me. I want to scare the hell out of him, just so he gives up threatening your friend. I'm going to find the scariest man around here and ask him to 'negotiate' with Bruce. If he doesn't cooperate… well, I think you know what will happen"

Scarlett's evil laugh echoed around the office.

"I'm sure I can do this. I can't just sit here and wait for some stranger to take care of my friend. I want to do something, even if it means taking risks." said Ryan.

"I'll send one of my best men, there's no need to worry."

"I don't think you understand. All my life I've been waiting for an opportunity to help someone I care about and that someone is Demi. Since she's my best friend's girlfriend she's become one of my best friends too. I can't let anything bad happen to her and I want to do whatever I can to make her safe again."

"Ryan, it's too dangerous!" said Scarlett, putting her hand over Ryan's.

"I don't care. I want to do this!"

"If you insist… I can guide you. I'll tell you what to do, but if you screw up, you're out and we're calling my men, ok?"

"Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Yes, Scarlett. I'm sure"

In reality, he wasn't sure. But that could be his only chance to show Scarlett – and himself – that all those super-hero stories can be real. It may sound silly, but to Ryan, that was completely understandable. Maybe not completely, but he wouldn't give up that easily.

"When do I start?"

"Next Thursday"

The next Thursday at 9 o'clock, Ryan went to the policeman's office all by himself to get things ready for the big day. The day he was actually going to do something to solve Demi's problem. The day he was finally going to do what he always wanted to: become someone's hero.

He got there and the man was waiting for him, sitting on his leather chair, his elbows on top of the desk and his head between his hands. Ryan sat on the leather couch by the window and stared at the man until he looked right back into Ryan's anxious eyes.

"Have you ever threatened someone before?"

Ryan tried to think about his early days, trying to survive high school. He remembered all about threatening, but most of the times he was the victim. He wasn't the violent kind of guy, he never thought about threatening anyone. I'm not saying he never wanted to; it's just that he never had the balls to do it.

"Yes. Maybe. A little…"

"Oh, this is going to be a long day…" the policeman mumbled to himself.

"I can learn. I'm smart, I learn quickly!"

"Ok, but if you take more than 2 minutes to learn his shit, I'll punch your pretty face so hard you won't even recognize yourself in the mirror!"

Ryan stood in complete chock. He was on the edge of giving up and the fear he felt was so intense and so visible, the policeman sat right next to him and whispered:

"This is what I call threatening. And if you can't even handle this little demonstration, I don't think you're the right guy for the job"

After acknowledging what was waiting for him, Ryan got a hold of himself and affirmed that he's ready. He just thought about Demi and Ashton, about their beautiful love that was ruined because of some low-life and he found all the strength and all the courage he needed to continue with the plan. Bruce had already bought the ticket to watch Inception at 6:30 p.m. Ryan already had the time and place, all he needed to do was wait for the right time. And so he did.


	7. Real Life SuperHeroes

**Chapter 7: Real Life Super-Heroes **

The day finally arrived and Bruce was oh so innocently buying some popcorn to enjoy the movie. Dr. Willis didn't know someone was keeping an eye on every step he took and apparently, he didn't know Ryan so he didn't even suspect something was up. Ryan waited until Demi's ex-husband had to go to the bathroom and he followed him in. Fortunately, there was no one in the bathroom, so Ryan easily applied the drug on a handkerchief and placed it over Bruce's nose.

In the exact moment Bruce smelled the toxic liquid, he fell deeply asleep and Ryan put his unconscious body inside of a garbage bag he had folded into his pocket. Then, he put the bag inside of his camping backpack, which was big enough for a gown man to fit inside. It was really heavy, but Ryan was strong and the adrenaline made him even stronger. He left the movie theater without leaving any evidence and he put the backpack in the trunk of his car. He drove to a deserted alley located in a violent neighborhood.

When he pulled over, Bruce was still asleep and Ryan dragged the backpack to the side of a dumpster. Bruce woke up when he heard a gunshot. He shivered and threw up a little.

"Where am I?"

"Shut up!" Ryan wished Scarlett could see him right now. He was such a badass! "Just because she doesn't want you anymore, do you think that's a reason to fuck with her life?"

"What are you talking about!"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Demi." as Ryan spoke that last word, Bruce's eyes opened wide, giving himself away. "I'm not a bad guy, so I'll let you choose: you can stop stalking my friend and I'll leave you alone. We'll never see each other again and you'll keep on living your stupid ass life. Or you could choose to keep stalking her and, my friend… I don't think you're man enough to do so."

Bruce was staring at Ryan, afraid of opening his mouth. He stayed in silence, paying attention to every single word. Ryan couldn't tell if that was because he was too scared or if he was planning a way to get out of there and harm Demi even more. But the doubt just made Ryan keep on going and he threatened the hell out of Bruce, high school style. But the only difference was: he meant every word.

"I don't think you understand" cried Bruce. "She's the love of my life. I've never loved someone like I love her. Do you know what is like to finally find happiness and get that taken away from you, just like that? And to make things worse, she doesn't even remember you exist and decides to move on dating a guy twenty years younger than you? Do you even know what it's like?"

Ryan couldn't stop thinking about Scarlett. He wondered if the same thing happened to him, if Scarlett left him for another man. He tried to imagine what it would be like to feel the same things Bruce did. What would he do?

"I know what it's like to love someone. I know what is like to give your hopes, your heart, your mind and your dreams to a woman who can suddenly change her mind and make your world fall apart in the blink of an eye. But I also know that if she's happier now, you got to let her go. Or I'll make you."

Ryan punched Bruce in the jaw just to give him a heads up of what is coming next. He turned around but before he got to his car, he heard a loud noise, maybe a gunshot. Ryan turned to look what happened but all he saw was Bruce still laying on the floor, dizzy. "Wow, I didn't think I had it in me!" he thought. Reynolds left him in the alley and drove to Scarlett's house to tell her that everything went perfectly fine.

"You should see his face…"

"Ryan, I'm so proud of you!"

If Ryan wasn't the super-hero he always wanted to be, at least he was Scarlett's hero. She hugged him and kissed him passionately. She was more in love with him than ever; danger had always attracted her more than anything and that's what Ryan discovered when she told him how she met the policeman.

"I think it's time to tell you the truth about my past"

Ryan freed himself from her tight embrace and looked at her with a worried look upon his face.

"I wasn't always a rich girl, my family was really poor and I wanted to give them a good life. My family's the most important thing in the world for me and now that you're part of it, you need to know everything. My dad was a bus driver, mom was a cleaning lady and we lived in a very poor neighborhood. I did things I'm not very proud of just to give them the life they deserved."

"Did you…?" Ryan raised his eyebrows.

"No, no… no! I didn't do _that_! I stole money from the mob"

"You did what?"

"It sounds crazy, but the owner of the bus company that my dad worked for had suffered a lot because he didn't want to pay the mob for protection. They killed his wife and his little girl. He knew I'd do anything to provide a better life for my parents, so he asked me to go to the place where the mobsters met and well… I brought a gun with me, so you can imagine what happened."

"Did you…?"

"Yes. I killed most of them. Some tried to shoot me, but I kicked their asses and the ones who were smart, ran away. There was only one left and he gently opened the safe as I pointed my gun to his head. I needed the money and my dad's boss needed revenge. It was a win-win situation."

"But that was enough money to…?" Ryan was so shocked that he couldn't even finish a whole sentence.

"The small fortune my dad's boss gave me just to say 'thank you' plus the money I stole from the mob… yeah, I got to live a good life after that and I finally could open my own nightclub business. I've always found them fascinating and it's a really good business, a lot of money involved."

"But you still haven't told me how you met the policeman."

"He was looking for those mobsters for a long time and when he found out that I was the one who killed them, he was so thankful that he didn't arrest me but he also helped me get away with everything and promised to protect me and my family if someone wanted to avenge the death of those Italian assholes."

"And I thought I was a badass"

Scarlett smiled and kissed him once more.

"So, are you ok with that? Do you still love me even after I told you about my horrible past?"

"I gotta say I feel a little intimidated, but it kinda turns me on." he smiled and kissed her romantically, holding her neck.

Ryan almost couldn't believe how amazing Scarlett was. "Messing with the mob, helping her family, becoming a powerful woman and stealing away my heart. Man, this woman is really something!" he thought.

He spent the night and when they woke up, Consuelo brought them breakfast in bed. He'd already forgiven her about the Starbucks misunderstanding. Consuelo was just trying to protect Scarlett and that meant she was very loyal. She left the two alone and let them enjoy that pleasant morning without worries, crime-fighting, threats or fear. Just the brightness of the sun on Scarlett's blond hair and the smell of fresh bread.

They heard the phone ring and Scarlett picked it up.

"Hi, Demi! Ryan got some great news for you, honey!"

She gave him the phone and took a bite of a beautiful apple, which looked just like the one Snow-White accepted from the bad witch. She thought about it for a second and giggled lightly.

"Demi, I don't think that loser is going to bother you anymore. It's all taken care of."

"I couldn't thank you enough!"

"So don't. If you want to show your appreciation, do the right thing and set things straight with Ashton. He looks tough, but he has a broken heart and you're the only one who can make him feel better."

"Do you think he'll ever forgive me? I mean, I wanted to meet him but right before I dialed his number, I got so afraid that he wouldn't understand that I stopped myself and decided to call you."

"I'm glad you've decided to call me" said Ryan. "But now that you know you're safe and everything's back to normal, there's nothing holding you back from being happy again."

Scarlett was paying attention to every word. She thought his relationship with Ashton was so amazing, so pure… so true! Growing up, she'd never learned how to trust anyone so she's never had a close friend. But Ryan taught her what trust is all about and now she understands their friendship is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Ryan was so selfless that he only cared about Ashton's happiness and that made Scarlett love him even more.

"Just one more thing: be gentle. He's really sensitive." asked Ryan right before hanging up.

Ryan laid down and rested his head on the pillow. Scarlett knew just what she had to do to make him relax. Once again, I'll not tell you what happened here, so let's go over to Kutcher's side of the story, shall we?


	8. The Nightclub

**Chapter 8: The Nightclub **

Demi had just finished her glass of milk – it always helped her feel more relaxed – and called Ashton to set a time and place so they could meet and talk about their situation. He asked her to come over his place, since Ryan wasn't home and it was more private so they could talk about anything they wanted.

As she got there, Ashton was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV even though it wasn't on. The broken hearted man turned to face her and he could barely speak, he was so torn between loving and hating her that he didn't know how to act. He decided to let her be the first one to say something, that silence was killing them.

"I want to talk to you about something really complicated. I hope you understand and forgive me"

Demi told him why she had to brake up with him and how Ryan took care of Bruce so he gave up stalking her. She told him that she was still in love with him and she only left him because she just wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something bad happened to him.

"If I understood everything correctly, there is nothing to be sorry about. You're the victim!"

"I know, but I'm sorry I haven't told you before. It would have avoided all the misery we had to go through."

"So why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was scared that you'd do something without thinking. You're a very spontaneous guy and that's why I love you." her cheeks flushed as if it was the first time she's said the L word. "But it could be a bad thing if you tried to get rid of Bruce all by yourself. Ryan was trained by a policeman and had all the security to do what he did. He was very brave, you should thank him! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be here talking to you without being afraid someone is outside waiting for me."

Ashton was really confused and began remembering all the times Ryan saw him crying and didn't say anything about Bruce. All the times Ryan heard him say that he was still in love with Demi and not even calm him down explaining the truth. At first, Ashton felt anger. How could his best friend hide something so important from him? But then Ashton realized that Ryan was worried about his happiness and made everything he could to solve the problem and bring Demi back into his arms. Ryan was a great friend, the best!

"But are you sure you're safe now?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because it's been a long time since I wanted to do this again…" he said, kissing her finally. In that moment, he forgot all the pain, all the heartbreak he went through and all he could think about was how happy he was to kiss her again. All those lonely nights seemed like a bad dream, a dream that wasn't real and disappeared as the wind blew through the window.

Demi held him tight and she never wanted to let him go. Not again, not again. Oh! She missed that perfume, those kisses, that touch. She was deeply in love with Ashton and there was nothing in the world that could keep them apart.

As I've done before, I'm going to respect their privacy and take a look at another character. Ryan? No, he's still pretty busy with Scarlett. Hummm let me see who's left… oh, yeah. Bruce.

He hadn't given up stalking Demi and the policeman knew that. He didn't tell Ryan that he was going to be close to the alley, in case something went wrong, but he did and as soon as Ryan turned his back, the policeman saw Bruce lying on the floor, picking up a gun and pointing it at Ryan's direction. In a split second, the policeman shot and the bullet went through Bruce's hand, making him let go of the gun and not being able to shoot Ryan. He got so disoriented wondering where that shot came from that the policeman easily put him where he belongs, behind bars.

Instead of telling Ryan what happened, he decided to let him believe that he was the hero. "It doesn't cost a thing to make a super-hero fan believe that he saved the day", he thought. "But he's a nice kid, oh yeah he is!".

**A couple of months later…**

"Honey, here's that belt you were looking for!"

"Oh, thanks!" said Ryan, rushing to get dressed for the big night. The nightclub he's been working on for so long was finally inaugurating and he had to be there with Scarlett to make sure it was a complete success.

"I'm ready! Let's go!"

They jumped in the car and drove to Ryan's old apartment to pick Ashton and Demi up. Ashton was enjoying living with Demi, even though it was completely different from living with Ryan. As much as he missed seeing his roommate everyday, he knew Ryan was better off living with Scarlett in that big mansion.

"Hey, man! What's up?"

"We're late! That's what's up!" said Ryan, rushing them to get in the car as quickly as possible. He was really nervous about the inauguration, but when Scarlett kissed his right cheek he knew everything was going to be just fine.

As they got there, the street was already filled with cars and it was so crowded that Ryan had some difficulty parking his new silver Lamborghini. Everyone was trying to get inside, but only the rich and famous could, that was the rule. Scarlett passed through security while people applauded her for making such a kick ass club. She was holding hands with Ryan and he could feel what was like being a star for the first time. It wasn't for long, but at least he got his 15 minutes of fame. Demi and Ashton were right behind them, smiling for the cameras and feeling like celebrities.

The first thing they saw when they got inside was a huge spinning dance floor and in the back, there was a waterfall and dancers dancing around a staircase that went right through it. Everything Ryan had planned was working out incredibly well and Scarlett couldn't be more pleased with the results. The disco ball was spinning wildly as the beats got hotter. The illumination system was bangin' and the night was just beginning.

"Ryan, thank you so much for doing this! This is beyond my wildest expectations! You rock!" said Scarlett, kissing him.

Ashton was already dancing with Demi, the music was so contagious that they couldn't resist. The crowd went crazy as the DJ dropped the sickest tunes. Of course someone who couldn't miss that was Scarlett's policeman friend. He was at the bar, dancing wasn't for him. The bartender was throwing the drinks in the air, not spilling one single drop and Scarlett's friend was more than proud of her.

"Scarlett, I gotta say this is one hell of a nightclub! Congratulations!"

"Well, if it wasn't for this guy, it wouldn't be possible…" she said, pointing her finger at Ryan's direction.

"Hummm, Mr. Engineer… well done, boy. Well done!" said the policeman, tapping Ryan on the back. "Now, I really have to go. Crime does not party and I have to be always alert. After all, I gotta live up to my reputation. One day, I'm gonna be famous, and when you hear my name, you're gonna remember all we've been through"

"Speaking of your name, what is it?" asked Ryan.

"My name is…" said the policeman, waving them goodbye and disappearing in the crowd, but Ryan couldn't hear it, the music is way too loud.

Scarlett and Ryan waved at him as he left the nightclub. Ashton and Demi were nowhere to be found and that meant they were making out in the private area. Everything was going according to Ryan's plans and all he wanted to do was dance and enjoy that amazing night.

The hours flew by and Ryan didn't want that night to end. He worked so hard to get where he was that he just wanted to enjoy that wonderful moment. Lately, his life had been more troubled than ever and overcoming all the obstacles showed him what really matters. He looked at his right and saw Ashton and Demi smiling, his best friends were finally safe and happy. Then he looked at his left and saw Scarlett dancing, looking beautiful with all those colorful lights sparkling on her skin and he knew that he wouldn't be able to love anyone as much as he loved her. He realized that all he needed to be happy was having his love and his friends by his side at all times and it didn't matter which problems could appear in the future, if he had to stick up for them, he was going to have enough power to become his own kind of super-hero.


End file.
